Document-based workflows

• US 8,909,597 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Aymeloglu, Andrew, Miyake, Nicholas, Burr, Brandon, Cicerone, Derek, Simler, Kevin, Tan, Garry
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruiz, Angelica
• Application Number:
  US13/799,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-831, 707/899, 707999001-999206
• US Class Current: 707/608
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/279 Recognition of textual entities

Abstract

A workflow application allows users to store, manage, and perform tasks related to workflows comprised of ordered sets of documents. The application provides an interface for creating and managing a workflow. Each document added to the workflow is assigned to a particular position in the workflow. Via the interface, the user saves data defining the workflow. In this manner, the workflow may be shared or preserved for subsequent re-use. The application allows a user to perform various tasks with respect to the workflow. Via an interface control presented by the application, the user instigates such tasks. In response, the application causes the task to be performed for each document in the workflow in an order corresponding to the arrangement of the documents within the workflow. For example, the application may render and print each document in the workflow. Or, the application may generate a combined workflow report.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, in a graphical user interface area, first inputs specifying drag-and-drop operations with respect to icons representing documents, the drag-and-drop operations indicating that the documents are to be added to a workflow represented by the graphical user interface area;

depicting the documents within the graphical user interface area in a particular order, wherein the particular order reflects dependencies between the documents, the particular order indicating at least that processing of a second document of the documents is dependent upon a first document output of a first document of the documents;

processing the workflow to generate a first workflow output for the workflow, wherein processing the workflow comprises at least iteratively generating outputs for each of the documents, in accordance with the particular order, the outputs including the first document output and a second document output for the second document;

wherein generating the first document output comprises executing instructions within the first document configured to cause deriving a data set from a data source external to the first document;

wherein generating the second document output comprises executing instructions within the second document configured to cause generating one or more graphs based on the first document output;

reprocessing the workflow to generate a second workflow output for the workflow, wherein the second workflow output differs from the first workflow output as a result of a change in the first document output;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the documents include one or more of:

word-processing documents, image files, or spreadsheets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first document is a second workflow.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a workflow application performs the processing of the workflow, wherein generating the second document output comprises the workflow application sending instructions to an external application via an programming interface or command-line interface, and receiving results from the external application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to input in the graphical user interface at a first computer, causing a workflow data structure describing the workflow to be stored;

wherein processing the workflow occurs at the first computer;

subsequently accessing the workflow data structure at a second computer to reconstruct the workflow within the graphical user interface at the second computer;

wherein reprocessing the workflow occurs at the second computer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying information associated with the first document in response to receiving input in the graphical user interface that selects the first document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the workflow comprises iteratively processing each particular document of the documents by executing instructions associated with the particular document to generate particular output for the document, wherein the first workflow output and the second workflow output are outputs from processing a last document in the workflow.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions within the first document are configured to cause deriving the data set from the data source external to the first document by importing the data set from the data source.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source is a third document of the documents.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions within the first document are configured to cause deriving the data set by using data imported from the data source in a coded algorithm.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause:

receiving, in a graphical user interface area, first inputs specifying drag-and-drop operations with respect to icons representing documents, the drag-and-drop operations indicating that the documents are to be added to a workflow represented by the graphical user interface area;

depicting the documents within the graphical user interface area in a particular order, wherein the particular order reflects dependencies between the documents, the particular order indicating at least that processing of a second document of the documents is dependent upon a first document output of a first document of the documents;

processing the workflow to generate a first workflow output for the workflow, wherein processing the workflow comprises at least iteratively generating outputs for each of the documents, in accordance with the particular order, the outputs including the first document output and a second document output for the second document;

wherein generating the first document output comprises executing instructions within the first document configured to cause deriving a data set from a data source external to the first document;

wherein generating the second document output comprises executing instructions within the second document configured to cause generating one or more graphs based on the first document output;

reprocessing the workflow to generate a second workflow output for the workflow, wherein the second workflow output differs from the first workflow output as a result of a change in the first document output.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the documents include one or more of:

word-processing documents, image files, or spreadsheets.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the first document is a second workflow.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein a workflow application performs the processing of the workflow, wherein generating the second document output comprises the workflow application sending instructions to an external application via an programming interface or command-line interface, and receiving results from the external application.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause:

in response to input in the graphical user interface at a first computer, causing a workflow data structure describing the workflow to be stored;

wherein processing the workflow occurs at the first computer;

subsequently accessing the workflow data structure at a second computer to reconstruct the workflow within the graphical user interface at the second computer;

wherein reprocessing the workflow occurs at the second computer.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause:

displaying information associated with the first document in response to receiving input in the graphical user interface that selects the first document.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein processing the workflow comprises iteratively processing each particular document of the documents by executing instructions associated with the particular document to generate particular output for the document, wherein the first workflow output and the second workflow output are outputs from processing a last document in the workflow.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the instructions within the first document are configured to cause deriving the data set from the data source external to the first document by importing the data set from the data source.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the data source is a third document of the documents.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the instructions within the first document are configured to cause deriving the data set by using data imported from the data source in a coded algorithm.